Besides Grameenphone, another telecom operator Robi also has over Tk 8.67 billion in unpaid bills, according to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission or BTRC.

In a reprisal for the failure of the operators to pay up the “dues” despite reminders, it ordered the International Internet Gateway or IIG operators to limit Grameenphone’s bandwidth capacity by 30 percent and Robi’s 15 percent on July 4.

It was followed by the decision to stop issuance of NOCs and other approvals before notices were served on Grameenphone and Robi on Sept 5. The notices asked them to explain why their licences to offer 2G and 3G services will not be revoked over the failure to pay up.

The operators with a combined customer base of over 120 million were given 30 days to answer as BTRC Chairman Jahurul Haque threatened to appoint administrators to recover the arrears should they fail to respond or pay up.

But prior to the issuance of the notice, Robi and Grameenphone filed separate civil suits to settle the dispute in August, calling the BTRC's claims “unfounded” and “faulty”.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has been pursuing the regulators for a settlement as well saying that taxes from the operators will rise if the authorities let them do business smoothly.

The telecom operators recently sent letters to the telecom regulator contending that the notices are “unfounded”, since the matter is sub judice because cases had been initiated before the notices were served.

A lower court had admitted Grameenphone’s title suit and kept it pending, according to lawyer Tanim.

Grameenphone had filed an appeal seeking a temporary ban under the title suit, but the lower court dismissed it on Aug 28, he told bdnews24.com.

The telecom operator later appealed against the lower court order during vacation, he said.

“The High Court admitted our appeal today. They kept it for hearing on Nov 5. They also ordered a two-month interim ban on BTRC action for payment,” the lawyer added.